Song: Invent Animate - Heavener [2023]

The single Heavener (not to be confused with the album Heavener) breaks my heart in multiple ways: it is one of the most emotionally intense songs of the whole year, and it also makes me immensely sad that this song didn't make it in time for the album release. Yes, the band did only start writing this after the album came out, and I'm still extremely glad and grateful that they released it all, but can you imagine this title track actually being on the album as the last song? It might've legitimately made Heavener my AOTY if it was on there.

Heavener very aptly and beautifully ties up the entire album cycle's narrative and soul in a four-and-a-half minute masterpiece. Featuring the very best of every aspect of their sound, save for the sonic heaviness, Heavener is an ethereal experience like no other, and I think Marcus did an amazing job coalescing the identity of the album into one song.

Heavener presents itself, for the most part, along the same lines as Without A Whisper, being a super atmospheric song with angelic cleans. The verses are soft and powered by ambience, in contrast to the chorus where the guitars come in to provide bolder rhythm parts. There's background leads in the verses too which add a lot of flavour, and the drums are great at matching the energy throughout. They also seem to reprise a line from Without A Whisper ("yeah, you"), and whether that's intentional or not, it's a lovely touch.

Heavener's breakdown is definitively the biggest moment of the song, of the whole album cycle, and maybe even all of progressive metalcore this year. There was something extremely emotionally evocative about how they wrote this moment, one that I truly think meets the standards of perfection. The build up to it, with the vocals slowly getting stronger until the callout, and going from falsetto to sing-scream at the same vocal range is already top tier performance on Marcus' part, but the guitar riff? It feels so unbelievably human, so powerful with the way the melody feels like an outpour of emotions, I feel like it transcended what it meant to be a guitar riff and is now some partially divine melodic construct. If you couldn't tell from my praises, it blew my mind. I got goosebumps the first time I heard it and almost teared up, and it never failed to that for the next few times that I replayed it.

Even after a behemoth of a moment like that, they still make the whole song extremely cohesive, wrapping up the song perfectly with another repeat of the chorus and the breakdown section. It's so beautiful that it honestly makes me want to just close my eyes and soak in it every time it plays, regardless of when and where I am.

Other than the breakdown, it's not a particularly technical song in any aspect, vocals or instruments, but there's something so thematically perfect about what they wrote here. It's the way the song perfectly encapsulates the intensity of grief, the joy that it draws from, and the bittersweet aftermath, expressing it in a way that words alone cannot, in a way that you really can feel.

Heavener has completely captivated me, more emotionally loaded than any other song I have come across by far. I keep coming back for the breakdown, but I listen to the whole song because it gives the breakdown meaning, and then I feel things. In the musical landscape of today, few songs have the power to connect a listener to the humanness in them, in others, and this song is so special in that way. This one is going in my hall of fame, for sure.

Rating: 5/5

Album: Invent Animate - Heavener [2023]

Invent Animate has been one of the most innovative modern metal bands in recent memory, and their fourth full-length album has been a highly anticipated release from not just their fans, but the metalcore scene as well. They've been consistently releasing great music and reaching new heights with their releases, especially with the amazing three-song EP The Sun Sleeps, As If It Never Was back in 2021. Heavener represents their most recent collection of bangers, and a coordinated effort of the most refined version of their sound.

Their flavour of metalcore is strongly defined by their unique blend of heavy and heavenly. Combining djent and thall influenced riffs with reverb-drenched and elegant guitar leads, beautiful clean vocals and raw screams, and oscillating between soft, sombre moments and relentless, intense ones. Their ability to weave emotion into their music is unparalleled, telling such powerful narratives through the melodies, composition and lyricism. They are far from generic in one of the best ways possible, and this record is only further proof of that.

The singles were extremely promising, including the initial Shade Astray which released outside of the album cycle. Between the relentless heaviness of Immolation of Night, and the emotional rawness of Elysium and Without a Whisper, they all happen to be some of the best tracks on the record. Despite that, the non-singles are also extremely formidable and pack a punch. I do have to admit though, they took a long time to stick, and it might be an inherent part of their genre and style, but the songs did blur together a bit, especially with those that lean closer to the traditional metalcore structure.

I superbly enjoy the riffwork on this album. It was one of the things that drew me to Invent Animate in the first place, with the riff on The Sun Sleeps being one of my favourite riffs of all time. There are definitely plenty of those super technical melodic riffs here, albeit none stand out as starkly as, for example, that one Cloud Cascade riff off of Greyview. I do kind of appreciate it though, toning down the technicality in favour of melodic and emotional capacity. I've also come to enjoy Marcus' vocals and his writing much more in this record. I've found myself hooked onto a lot more songs, whereas with Greyview I only really kept a good impression of Fireside's chorus.

I think they've managed to figure out the core of their sound with this record, and whether it's due to the aftermath of the pandemic is irrelevant. Heavener is their best work yet, and Invent Animate have proven themselves to be a remarkable force in modern metal like no other. My favourite thing about Heavener is how much of a vibe it is, I could simply get lost in the fourty-six minutes of pure heaven. It is a beautiful listening experience, and a potent degree of emotional, especially once you dig into the lyricism. One of the best releases of the year, for sure.

Rating: 9/10

Tracklist:

1. Absence Persistent

2. Shade Astray

3. Labyrinthine

4. Without a Whisper

5. False Meridian

6. Reverie

7. Immolation of Night

8. Purity Weeps

9. Void Surfacing

10. Emberglow

11. Elysium

Song: Invent Animate - The Sun Sleeps [The Sun Sleeps, As If It Never Was EP, 2021]

2021 had a lot of new discoveries and amazing musical finds for me, and one of the top few has to be this song. I never heard of Invent Animate before this, but I fell in love with this song immediately, and it might very well be one of the best progressive metalcore tracks of the decade, maybe ever.

They have a very unique sound to boast, fueled by unique riffs and tones, unconventional but tasteful drum beats and their incorporation of ambience above all. Their soundscapes are always wildly immersive, and is a big part of their sound in general.

This song is home to one of the best metalcore riffs ever. The second half of the chorus beginning with the vocalist dragging the word "you" is accompanied by a masterfully written half-melody half-chug pattern that absolutely took my breath away the first time I heard it. Rarely do I ever find a riff so good it leaves me speechless for a first impression.

Despite the majestic riff, the rest of the song is unbelievably well-written too. The chorus vocal melody is one of my favourite choruses of 2021, the drum pattern in the chorus is so different and it always catches my eye, and the ambient design is phenomenal. The verses are extremely solid too, I just find it hard to say much about it when it pales in comparison to the chorus.

The breakdown is super fun and different, and it reminds me a bit of thall. It showcases the more unorthodox side of their writing capacity, especially with their odd rhythms, use of bends and choice of spacing. Immediately after the breakdown, most of the major instruments drop out and we get a good look at the ambient soundscape, and it's so elegant and ethereal.

I can't deny that this song is strongly focused on the chorus, but it is quite literally nigh perfect and I'm more than happy to love it for that. It's not like the rest of the song is bad anyways, it's a super solid song throughout. What a masterpiece, a pinnacle of modern metalcore.

Rating: 5/5

Lyric Of The Week 15: The Sun Sleeps

"How do you sleep at night, with a war inside you? How does it feel to die, knowing I've forgotten you?"

Invent Animate - The Sun Sleeps, from the EP The Sun Sleeps, As If It Never Was